The question in the mind of investors both those in Nigeria and abroad is always after acquiring a land or house property in Nigeria, how do I register and secure the property? This worry has made a lot of people avoid buying lands and houses in Nigeria.

Investors abroad are scared of investing their money in buying house and land property here in Nigeria because of the fear of losing their investment. The truth is that Nigeria is safe for everyone to come and buy property. People abroad should have nothing to be scared about. Come and acquire land or house property here in Nigeria.

Purchase of land or house property in Nigeria and securing the same by registration is fundamental to the expansion of business and growth of the economy, therefore, it is very important to take the board step to secure your interest in a land/property after purchase. Registering your land or house property here in Nigeria is a valid proof of ownership to the land. On the other hand, you stand a chance of losing your property after complete payment when you fail to register it with the appropriate authority.

The danger in not registering it is that if the government wants to do anything within that location without your evidence showing full ownership by registration they will take over the land. So it is very important to register and secure your newly acquired land or house in Nigeria.

If you are a Nigerian staying abroad, once you purchase a property through someone residing here, please ensure they secure it by registering the land with the appropriate ministry and authority.

Sometimes when you acquire a land or house in Nigeria from a father without the knowledge of the children, if you don't register it then and the man dies or becomes unavailable the children will start reclaiming the land. But if the land is registered fully in your name, it will be secured and remain yours.

Also in some cases after you finish buying a land or house in Nigeria without registering and securing it, the native or previous owners go to resell it. If the person that resold it to you first and registered the property, automatically is not yours anymore, because the person that the law knows as the rightful owner unless proven otherwise is who registered it first.

Land registration processes in most states in Nigeria are similar, just some variations and modifications. The most common effect is that the Governor of a State or the Minister, in the case of the Federal Capital Territory, must consent to transfer of any interest in land in accordance with the provisions of the Land Use Act before such a land or property can be duly registered in favour of the new owner.

The steps stated below are how to register and secure your newly acquired land or house property in Nigeria.

1. You have to submit an application for the Governor's consent at the Lands Bureau of the State. This process is accompanied by relevant documents and evidence of payment of levies such as charting fee, application fee, administrative charges and endorsement fee, etc

2. The application is referred to the office of the Surveyor-General of the State for the purpose of charting the survey plan, confirming if the land is free from government acquisition and if the coordinates in the land that reflects in the survey do not go beyond the boundary of the vendor's property

3. Thereafter the application is returned to the Lands Bureau and an assessment letter is issued requesting the applicants to make the necessary payments of consent fee, stamp duty, capital gains tax, registration fee, etc

4. The payment receipts obtained upon payment of the above fees are then forwarded to the office of the State Bureau

5. The Deed is then forwarded to any designated commissioners for the endorsement of the portion of the Deed on behalf of the Governor for the Governor's consent

6. After obtaining the consent, the deed is subsequently stamped by the State Internal Revenue Service where the parties to the transaction are individuals or the Federal Inland Revenue Service where either the Assignor or Assignee is a company. Without stamping, the instrument will not be accepted for registration at the land registry

7. Finally, the stamped Deed is presented to the State Lands Registry for registration. This stage signifies the completion of the perfection process and a duly perfected original Deed is returned to the applicant

After this process is completed, the land or house property now fully becomes yours. You now have full ownership of the property.

Thank you. Please do visit our blog for helpful and use information on real estate, property and its related matters.